You are allowed to enjoy this…

It seems that someone has managed to infiltrate my dreams and commit them to digital video…

Click the picture above to access the online shop where you can buy the physical version of EchoNET. The unique thing about this release is that it comes with a FREE DVD version that is encoded in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. This is the only place where you can get that version and most importantly the surround sound edition, as I will not be releasing that on this site.

…it is no secret. I’ve been following that band since the TNT album from 1997 and I have never been disappointed by any of their records. There always something there to keep me interested. The band has a new album out called Beacons of Ancestorship on 22 June and there are two free promo MP3s being circulated (legally) to get you in the mood. Tortoise are great. I wish I could be in Tortoise. (sigh)
http://www.pampelmoose.com/promos/Tortoise-High_Class_Slim_Came_Floatin_In.mp3
http://www.thrilljockey.com/assets/freedownload/Tortoise-Prepare_Your_Coffin.mp3

The following review has come in courtesy of music website Jamendo:
Music to My Ears wrote:
Very Laid Back, Chilled, Calm Album
8 out of 10
15/05/09
A very laid back, chilled, calm album. Filled with lovely,beautiful filled, rock, instrumental, guitar, progressive, musical tracks. That are produced, composed and performed to a high standard. Excellent album, to relax, sit back and simply enjoy, as a great background music, or even to meditate along to.
Excuse the punctuation there as many of the listeners at Jamendo are from the European continent with English not as their mother language. If you want to go over to Jamendo and leave a review and rating, head over to:
http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/45201

The parliamentary expenses crisis rumbles onwards. After watching the mealy-mouthed Margaret Beckett patronise the British public last night: “You wouldn’t understand why we need to claim so much money because you are so stupid…it’s because we want to sit on stinking great piles of cash paid for by you.” OK, she didn’t say that, but she might as well have said. And then you had Ming The Merciless Campbell justifying his £10,000 refurbishment bill. Heck, if he needed his love pad tarted up, he should have done the decent thing and met the expenses halfway and gone 50/50. But no, we foot the bill…we always will do.
The worrying thing about this is that I am increasingly agreeing with the fucking Conservatives. I find myself nodding along to Tebbit (spit) who says don’t vote Tory at the Euro elections to punish them. And agreeing with Widdiecombe and last night Theresa May. I think that the world has gone mad or at least I have passed into some sort of alternative Bizarro-world multiverse where everything I believe has become perverted and the opposite of what I know.
Some say that it is only money and we shouldn’t complain. But these are supposedly honourable members of parliament who we have trusted with our electoral power. But if we can’t trust them to do their expenses, then how can we trust them to make decisions on our behalf. Massage chairs and home cinema systems come first in this political world.
These people aren’t fit for purpose and are criminals. I will repeat myself again: they are criminals. They have committed fraud and have stolen our money. The rules are clear if you read them. Expenses are for items that will aid their work in parliament and should not be viewed as extravagent or unnecessary by the public. “But we were only following the rules,” they bleat. No, no you were not. Claiming for mortgages you’ve paid, rent that doesn’t exist and generally using the public’s money as your personal investment account is not sticking to the rules.
So we have a political system that is broken. OK, there are many members of parliament who don’t fiddle their expenses and who are blame free, but one rotten apple spoils the barrel. And if they are blameless, they should be judged by their electorate.
I was thinking about this and realised that the Queen should dissolve parliament and we should start again. Clear out the rubbish naturally, by our own hand and try to regain our political trust.
Thankfully, one guy has already started an online vote. I suggest you add your voice to this. Of course, nothing will actually happen but at least you can expend your impotant rage with a mouse click. It is either that or we join together and reclaim parliament by force.
Who’s got the AK47s????

I remember the Manic Street Preachers. They used to be good once, when I was young, when they had melody lines that burnt into your brain like “Motorcycle Emptiness” and “A Design For Life”. Now it seems the band has inadvertantly caused controversy with its new album sleeve.

Journal for Plague Lovers (Art by Jenny Saville)
Apparently, the powers-that-be at Sainsburys will be selling this CD in a plain sleeve just in case the artwork might cause offence. I balk at this, I really do. Obviously, some sensitive soul sees blood and gore instead of having any appreciaton for artistic technique or the education to understand the art in front of them. They obviously have no experience of art and I wonder what they’d make of some of Lucien Freud’s darker pieces. Meanwhile, the hypocrisy continues as they will probably be selling copies of Nuts and Zoo with boobs, bums and wobbly bits on show, and copies of women’s weekly shlock mags that have headlines like “Boyfriend raped my baby” and appear to the rubbernecker instinct in us.
It is plain to me that we live in a childish, stupid society with no common sense or ability to process visual information at a higher level. Arsehats!

It’s nice when people compliment you. I’ve had two compliments in just as many days for my music, so I am feeling flushed and giddy as a lovesick schoolgirl. I give enough of this stuff away, so it is very heartening when someone takes the time to thank you. It’s is a rare thing and I know it takes a lot of effort to pen nice words, so it always is a good thing when you get a little virtual slap on the back.
Dom Langham of France wrote:
“Thanks for your music.You’re a great dreamer, composer and musician. I like this.
If you have a moment, take a look at my website : http://www.myspace.com/yin_yang_music
I’m a musician like you… but i don’t have your talent.
Thanks a lot,
Dom”
And thank you Dom for taking the time to write.